Lap-forming apparatus



G. C. LAURENCY ET AL Dec. 8 1925.

LAP FORMING APPARATU S Original Filed May 1921 CAD - hen the band has made a complete circuit Patented Dec. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES GUILLAUIVIE CLEMENT LAURENCY AND MARCEL VIGIER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

LAP-FORMING APPARATUS.

Original application filed May 26, 1921, Serial November 22, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GUILLAUME CLEM- nx'r LAURENCY, a subject of the King of Belgium, and lvLlnonL VIGIER, a French citizen, both residents of London, in the county of London, England, have invented certain Improvements in Lap-Forming Apparatus (for which we have applied for a patent in Great Britain on November 21, 1919, Patent Number 29,011), of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This application is a division of the application filed by us on May 26, 1921, Serial Number v$72,850.

This invention relates to a device for forming a lap with parallel fibres having from the beginning to the end of its formation the same thickness over all its width and comprising over all its surface and throughout its thickness fibres taken up at regular intervals and at different places over the whole width of the machine, with mechanism for automatically breaking said lap when it reaches a predetermined thickness.

This invention is more particularly intended for use with a carding machine of the type, described in our application for patent under Serial No. 472,850, in which the dofi'er moves in the opposite direction to the card cylinder, and which delivers a continuous and regular sheet of fleece of parallel fibres.

This device is for dealing with the sheet of fibres as it is delivered from the doifer and will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1, is a side elevation of the device,

Fig. 2, is a vertical section on line A-B of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3, is a partial section on line CD of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 41, is a sectional detail view on line EF of Fig 1.

A series of rollers 12 to 21 is provided, and these rollers are arranged parallel to each other, as shown, in a suitable frame. An endless conveyer E is formed of a relatively narrow band of woven material, and this band is passed around the rollers 12 to 20 in regular order, and is driven in the direction of the curved arrows in Fig. 1.

of the rollers it is moved laterally for a distance a little greater than its own width, and is then caused to make another complete No. 472,850. Divided and this application filed Serial No. 676,464.

circuit of the rollers. The band is moved laterally at the end of each complete circuit, until the rollers are covered with it for their full length. The endportion of the band, marked 6 in Fig. 1, is then passed over guide pulleys 22, 23 and 24:, which conduct it back to its original starting point on the roller 12. The band is endless, and moves forwardly in the direction of its own length, and of the arrows in Fig. 1, and the band also moves laterally along the rollers in the direction of their length.

The sheet of fibres from the clotting cylinder is introduced on the top side of the roller 21, between the roller 21 and the stretches of the band E passing over it. The fibers are caused to adhere to the band by the pressure of the roller 21, and each time a layer of fibers on the stretches of the band comes around to the roller 21, additional fibers are deposited on it, until a lap of superposed layers has been formed of a predetermined thickness.

A second endless band F is provided at that part of the band E adjacent to the pulley 22, to maintain the layers of fiber in place. The object of thus moving the band laterally is to provide a means for forming an intimate mixture of fibers of all lengths, arranged parallel to each other, and taken up at regular intervals, and at different points in the width of the machine.

To ensure the same thickness in all the laps, a device breaks and unrolls the lap automatically when it has attained the thickness desired. This device comprises a roller 25, mounted on the end of a lever 26, and regulated at a convenient distance from cylinder 13. On the end of the long arm of this lever 26 bears the rear end of a catch 27, pivoted on a disc 28, this disc being adapted to turn freely on the axis of the cylinder 12 and being connected by a rod 29 to a lever arm 30, fixed on the axle 31 (the cylinder 13 turning freely on this axle) which carries another lever arm 32 at its other end.

That part of the mechanism the object of which is to break the lap and elfect its unrolling is balanced between the levers 30 and 32 which carry it, and is formed by a sawtoothed plate 3 1 held raised as indicated in Figure 1 while the lap is being formed. As the lap increases in thickness, it comes into nta t w th the roller 25 which it slightly displaces thus forcing the lever 26 to allow the rear of the catch 27 to descend and cause the front of the catch to lie in the path described by the tooth 36 of a disc 33 mounted on the axle of the cylinder 12.

Through the intermediary of this tooth 86, which engages the front of the catch 27, the disc 33 moves the disc 28 for a complete revolution and this revolution of the disc 28 produces'the breaking and causes the unrolling of the lap by the plate 3a traversing the distance a Z), as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1 and conveying the lap to a roller 3%? which rolls up a guide 34:" in the known manner. On again arriving at its starting point, the disc 28 is freed from the disc by an abutment 37, which again raises the rear of the catch, and the latter is again kept raised by the end of the long arm of the lever 26 since the lap has ceased to act on the roller 25. A spring catch 35, compels the disc 28 to resume the same position on stopping at the end of each revolution.

hat we claim as our invention and d sire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A lap-forming device comprising an apron formed by an endless band, the movement of which is displaced transversely in a continuous manner to form a lap with parallel fibres having from the beginning to the end of its formation the same thickness over all its width and comprising over all its surface and throughout its thickness fibres taken up at regular intervals and at diii'erent places over the Whole width of the machine, and mechanism for automatically breaking said lap when it reaches a predetermined thickness.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

GUILLAUME CLEMENT LAURENCY.

MARCEL VIGIER. 

